From abroad we've been able to sign some quality riders. We hope they can live up to our expectations, as they'll be incredibly important for our goal of surviving the Pro Tour.
Simon Spilak
The Slovenian will be an absolute key in our fight to avoid relegation. He's our only stage racer who can win a big stage race if the very best GC riders shows up. We need him sharp in Giro d'Italia, where we aim at a podium overall. Spilak will, without doubt, be our man for the task. We also need him to perform well in smaller stage races, and he might race a hilly classic or two, to take away some pressure from Boasson Hagen's shoulders.
Jure Zrimsek
He's our only time trialist. It goes without saying he'll be featuring in races including a time trial, and thus he has good chances of riding the biggest race of them all, Le Tour de France.
John-Lee Augustyn
Augustyn will be an absolute key for Spilak's racing this season. He'll be Spilak's lieutenant, and assist him in all stage races they both participate in. But the South African will also get his chances to shine, and we hope he can prove himself good enough for a top 20 in the general classicifation in a Pro Tour race.
Daryl Impey
One of our two main sprinters this season. Impey has a great kick, but he also handles hills well, meaning he should enter most sprints in better condition than his opponents. We hope he can snatch a stage win or two throughout the season, in addition to give the flat classics his best.
Hector Duenas Nevado
He's a good climber, and we hope to see him at his best in Vuelta a Espana. It's the biggest race in the world for him, and he's already talking about the climber's jersey as a goal. We'll see about that, but we definitely hope to see him in a lot of breakaways this season.
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Already this season, he'll be an important domestique on the hills, but he has the potential to become a lot better. He should be an attacking machine in the future, and we expect to see him in a lot of breakaways.
Kobe Vanoverschelde
Vanoverschelde is our other sprinter. He's faster than Impey, but doesn't survive the hills as good as the South African. We've the same goals for him, and we hope to see him win a stage.
Klaas Vantornout
He's a decent stage racer, and has a lot of experience. We hope our younger riders can pick up a trick or two from Vantornout. He'll race most of the important stage races, his experience should also prove valuable for Spilak as he knows when our riders should be at the front.
David Livramento
Surprisingly, no one else showed interest in Livramento, who should be an important domestique for stage races. His dream is to race a Grand Tour, and we'll definitely let him live out his dream, he could even race two of them.
Maurizio Biondo
He's an Italian sprinter, and just like Impey, he handles speed bumps well. He will mostly provide a leadout for Vanoverschelde, and we cross fingers he has the power needed.
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Haedo is a very similar rider to Biondo. Last year he won a stage in Venezuela for us, this year he'll get a couple of chances to shine, but his main focus will be to provide Impey and Vanoverschelde with assistance in the final kilometers of flat races and stages.
Remberto Jaramillo
Jaramillo is a pure climber and we hope he can continue to try his luck in breakaways, like he did in 2012. He's also capable of assisting Spilak on the penultimate and final climb.
Joseph Biziyaremye
He's already a good climber, and he should be even better in 2014. He'll together with other climbers in our team be vital for our captain in his search for glory.
Alexandre Shushemoin
We've loaned Shushemoin from Ciscio Cycling Team, and we're very pleased to have him. He'll be important in tough races, as he handles both climbs and hills well.
Artem Topchanyuk
The Ukrainian is on loan from Team PrivatBank. He's a rock solid climber, and he'll certainly feature in important stage races. We've already given him the green light for Giro d'Italia, where we think he'll be a key rider if Spilak is going to make a podium.
Nathan Haas
Our final rider is an Aussie. He's a puncheur with a decent sprint, and we expect to see him try for breakaways. Haas is on loan from Risa - Ergon Cycling Team, and we hope he'll enjoy his stay at our team.
Edited by ember on 21-12-2012 17:15
Both had so so seasons (admittedly winning the Dauphine is nothing to be sniffed at) last year so it is a gamble.
Going to watch Augustyn and Impey with a curious eye, would have love to kept them. But their have pleased and disappointed in equal measure - good luck getting the best out of those two.
That's definitely what I'm hoping. If we can survive this season, a couple of the talents I signed this season should be valuable in terms of point scoring next season, meaning it should be "easier" to avoid relegation.
Nice to see much more Norwegians this year
I´m regret that I didn´t fight for atleast 2 of those, you got them so early that 48 h already had passed when I was about to fight for them
Must admit I was a bit surprised no other Scandinavian teams tried for a couple of the talents I signed, but I'll certainly not complain
It was nice to seal most of them early as well, as it gave me freedom to target a captain like Spilak from the Free Agents.
Badaling International is just around the corner, and the eight selected riders from Aker - MOT have already been in China for more than a week, preparing for the season opener. It's vital to get a good start to the season, it will give the team confidence and hope of surviving the Pro Tour.
As mentioned, the riders left for China more than a week ago. Unfortunately that means we won't see Edvald Boasson Hagen in his Norwegian champion jersey. We can confirm the jersey maker was caught a bit off guard, as he thought our riders weren't leaving before this week. Luckily, we brought an extra jersey to China, and you'll see "Eddy Boss" in our normal, nice looking jersey. Boasson Hagen feels sorry not being able to race in the jersey he should have, but he's also very happy to be allowed to race one race except the national championship in Norway in Aker - MOT's original jersey.
Our eight riders are ready for racing now, and we believe we've brought a good team to China. Hopefully they'll be able to deliver a good result, but it'll certainly be tough. Cunego is reported to race, and it'll be a surprise if other world class puncheurs, like Bakelants, F. Schleck, Schumacher, Trofimov and others doesn't show up. We can only cross fingers our eight riders are ready for the challenge, in our first ever Pro Tour race.
Aker - MOT in Badaling International
Edvald Boasson Hagen Lars Petter Nordhaug Vegard Robinson Bugge Vegard Stake Laengen Christopher Juul-Jensen John-Lee Augustyn Nathan Haas Alexandre Shushemoin
We wish all teams in the Pro Tour the best for 2013, and we're really looking forward to participate in such quality races.
Boasson Hagen has finally got his jersey for winning the Norwegian championship last season. We've had a quick chat with him in Italy, where he is giving it his best to perform in Tirreno - Adriatico.
It's an outstanding jersey. It's a shame I've been forced to wait this long for it, but the design and colours on the jersey certainly makes up for that. It looks brilliant!
However, as Boasson Hagen is in Italy, it's unlikely he'll be able to use the jersey in the remaining stages of Tirreno - Adriatico. It's also unlikely he'll be able to use it in Milan - San Remo, as he stays in Italy to prepare for the monument after Tirreno - Adriatico. We've also spoken to team manager ember, who shares Boasson Hagen's opinions on the jersey.
It's absolutely amazing! We're grateful that Sykkel_Freak took his time and made the jersey. It's a great design, and Boasson Hagen now holds all the tools to perform with the very best. A jersey like that surely lifts his motivation.
Speaking of racing, the team is now chasing points in an extremely important part of the season. Paris - Nice, Volta a Catalunya and the already mentioned Tirreno - Adriatico is where we really need to grab a good amount of points if we're going to stay safe of relegation. Boasson Hagen is racing the Queen stage of Tirreno - Adriatico this afternoon, and Spilak will be looking to get his season started in Catalunya. It's really make or break for our team now! Milan - San Remo is also looming, as it caps of the month for us. We're hoping Boasson Hagen will be able to shine there as well.
We hope the fans and supporters of the team also like the jersey, and hope it's another reason to cheer loudly for us.
Amstel Gold Race marked the start of the well known week of Ardennes classics. Eventhough Amstel Gold Race isn't a real Ardennes geographically speaking, it is nonetheless one of the biggest cycling races in the Pro Tour.
We arrived Netherlands with high expectations. Boasson Hagen won it in 2011, and we hoped to repeat that performance. We lined up a strong team to help him.
And we did it. The team did brilliant to put Boasson Hagen in the best position, and he soloed away from all the others well before the finishing line.
From the very beginning we were helping the peloton chase an early breakaway, as all our riders were determined to help our Norwegian captain.
The picture shows the front of the peloton 50 kilometers away from the finishing line, and our riders were really up for it.
It was the best day of my life. Winning such a race in the Norwegian champion jersey for a Norwegian team, after a perfect race by my teammates, it was just a dream come true, explained Boasson Hagen after the race.
Edvald Boasson Hagen gave it his heart on Kruisberg, the fifth last climb of the day. He attacked the peloton, and no one was able to follow. It was still about 25 kilometers to go, but he went all in.
Our captain was on an amazing day, and his morale was sky high after his mates had been working the whole day for him. He continued to pull solo in front, and the peloton wasn't able to claw back time.
14 kilometers from the finish line, he led the other favourites with 43 seconds, and his lead was extending.
I just gave it everything. I didn't care about the gap to the others, I only focused on myself.
He just kept going, the others could simply not catch him. He won the classic after a superb solo ride, and could celebrate at the finish line.
Smowz, another manager and race reporter said it well as he crossed the line:
His nightmare 2012 soon forgotten.
It was a big relief for Boasson Hagen to finally win a race for us. We're thrilled he made it in Amstel Gold Race, and we suspect his new national champion jersey, made by Sykkel_Freak, brought him the needed luck and motivation to make history for our team.
It's finally time! Rumour has it that the reason nothing has been posted in the team's headquarter the four last months is that everyone involved in Aker-MOT has been stunned by the results produced.
More seriously though, it could simply be because the team manager hasn't found the needed time. Anyway, here we go again.
"It's just been a sensational season for us so far. From La Primavera in March up to Le Tour this summer, it has been an amazing experience for the whole team."
"We didn't do brilliant in GP al Pais Vasco, and we were eager to prove we were better than what we did in Spain. We certainly delivered, and we gained momentum from the Ardennes which Spilak carried on into Switzerland."
Spilak raced to an overall podium place in Tour de Romandie, which was a clear sign of him being ready for our first ever Grand Tour.
In Giro d'Italia our nine participants gave it everything, and with Spilak as the undisputable captain the race was a big success. The Slovenian managed third overall, which bagged a goal of the season.
"It was a pleasure to see Spilak take on the challenges in Italy. He did good the first week greatly assisted by the whole team, and it was nice to see him hold on to an overall podium through the whole race."
Impey winning in Spain.
From Italy we headed to Spain and another Grand Tour. Daryl Impey used the opportunity to write history for us, claiming our first win in a Grand Tour. He won stage 10 of Vuelta a España.
"That was an emotional for me. I really looked forward to the race before we started as I knew it was a golden opportunity for me to ride my own chances. I'm thrilled I was able to pay the team back for all the work and thrust they put into me," the South African said after the race."
In France Spilak was able to hold on to his form from Giro d'Italia and secured second place overall behind a superior Taylor Phinney. Another great result, which makes us think we are about safe thinking of relegation.
In the recently finished Tour de France we must admit we weren't strong enough for a stage win or a top 10 overall placing, but that was just as expected. It was nevertheless great to see John-Lee Augustyn constantly on the attack, and he was less than a minute from taking a sensational stage win on the final mountain stage of the race.
"It's been a remarkable first half of our debut in the Pro Tour. Though, we won't relax just yet, as our home race is coming up. The organizer of Tour of Norway has made an interesting route, and we hope Impey and home favourite Boasson Hagen can co-operate well and give us some great stage results and a nice overall result," says team manager ember.
Arguably the biggest race of the season for us took place from 26th of June to the 2nd of August. Then we raced the first ever Tour of Norway in the Pro Tour.
We sent a strong team to the start in Kristiansand, with Boasson Hagen as our obvious captain. We also brought Impey to cover the flat stages, and he did that in a great way, sprinting home for 2nd place on the 2nd stage.
It was just amazing racing in Norway. There were lots of fans for Vuelta a Espana as well, but you could really feel that they wanted us to perform as the only Norwegian team participating. It certainly helped me getting that 2nd place, as the competition was really tough, said Impey after the race.
But admittedly, the race was all about the three hilly stages, were we hoped Boasson Hagen was going to shine and give us the overall win. After a passive performance on the first hilly stage, the Norwegian captain upped his game for the 4th stage, claiming glory on the last 500 meters.
Boasson Hagen celebrates our win in Norway.
That was promising before the decisive stage 8 of the race. Unfortunately, Boasson Hagen was far from his best, and he had to settle for 15th, behind 12 breakaway riders, Bakelants and Van Garderen. The breakaway meant that our captain slipped to 6th overall.
It just wasn't meant to be on that final stage. That was a massive disappointment considering we were racing in Norway, but my legs weren't better. I hope to come back stronger next year, as the race suited my abilities perfect, said Boasson Hagen.
To be honest, we must admit we hoped for more, both thinking of stage placings and the overall result. Luckily, Boasson Hagen was outstanding in the first half of the season, meaning we still look good thinking of avoiding relegation. Our Norwegian captain is scheduled to race again in Lisbon Classic.
Before that, we send Stake Laengen to lead us in Deutschland Tour. Though, we don't expect any result at all there, but we hope some of the riders representing us uses the opportunity to show themselves in a breakaway or two.
The biggest and most prestigous one-day race of the season took place in Stuttgart. The World Championship was raced on a hilly route, which looked perfect for Edvald Boasson Hagen and other puncheurs.
We also had Spilak as a possible contender for the medals, and the slovenian started the fireworks with two laps to go. Together with several others Boasson Hagen decided to follow the attack. With five kilometers to go it was clear that 14 riders were going to fight it out for the medals. We had both Spilak and Boasson Hagen there.
Our Norwegian captain didn't hesitate, and gave it his best for glory with one kilometer to go. Only the Italian legend Damiano Cunego was able to follow. Cunego then looked to sprint past Boasson Hagen with 200 meters to go.
Cunego on his way past Boasson Hagen.
But our big star didn't give up without a fight, and forced himself to dig even deeper and neutralize the Italian's momentum. He succeeded, the sprint went to an incredibly close photo finish.
The photo finish between Boasson Hagen and Cunego.
Boasson Hagen was the decisive centimeter ahead, and our Norwegian could celebrate an amazing moment for him, the team and the Norwegian fans.
Boasson Hagen wins the World Championship for himself, Norway and Aker-MOT.
"That's without any doubt my biggest moment and achievement on a bike. I just couldn't believe it when I saw us crossing the finishing line with me just ahead of him. "
It goes without saying that the whole team is incredibly proud of our performance in the World Championship. Below we've included some of the messages we've got from other members of the professional sport of cycling after Boasson Hagen's win.
TheManxMissile wrote:
Caps it off for EBH who has been great this season.
SportingNonsense wrote:
I thought Cunego was nailed on there in the closing stages, so what a coup by Boasson Hagen to beat him.
FroomeDog99 wrote:
A deserved winner in EBH in the end, rode a great race tactically and saved enough energy to surprisingly outsprint a potentially stronger Cunego.
Smowz wrote:
he has become a true legend. He had to beat a legend to do so of course and in Italy a ridiculously powerful team.
Miguel98 wrote:
Congrat's to Aker, great win for EBH. Very exciting finish there.
Gustavovskiy wrote:
Hagen was meant to win the rainbow stripes at some point. Beating Cunego was a sensational way to do that.
tyriion wrote:
Deserving world champion to be sure.
Boasson Hagen and the team are grateful for all your messages, both those to our Norwegian captain and those adressed to the whole team.
Edvald Boasson Hagen. What more is there to say for us? He has been sensational this season, giving us amazing victories and podium places in the classics and monuments this season.
Today he and our team finished the season in style with our Norwegian captain coming home 2nd in the race of the falling leaves, the monument Giro di Lombardia.
Boasson Hagen sprints home to second place in Giro di Lombardia.
That concluded a great season for us, finishing our first year in the Pro Tour in 10th place.
"I was extremely motivated for this race. Mainly because we could get a top 10 in the team classification, as that was a goal for us, but also because I knew that a win or second place could see me on the individual podium if I beat Cunego as well. I'm just thrilled I managed it, Schleck was simply too good for me to win it," says Boasson Hagen.
His 2nd place in Lombardia gave our Norwegian star a nice run of results in the hilly classics. 2-1-1-2-5-2 is his record for hilly one day races this year. It goes without saying he was an absolute key to our bid for a top 10 in the overall standing.
It's with great pleasure we can announce that we'll continue with a similar structure in 2014. Both Aker and MOT will continue as sponsors, and we plan to race in the same jersey as well.
There'll obviously be some changes to our squad, but we're very happy to see many of our young Norwegians returning for next year. We've registered that a couple of teams have talked about their interest for some of our riders, especially Augustyn and Impey. We're likely to come back with a statement regarding transfers later, but we can say that we might let one of those two leave, but definitely not both.
More than a year ago, we put down some very ambitious goals for our team. Below follows a short summary.
Goal
Result
Status
Top 10 in the team standings
10th place
Completed
Top 3 in Giro d'Italia
3rd place
Completed
Win Tour of Norway
6th place
Failed
Win Milano-Sanremo
4th place
Failed
Win Liege-Bastogne-Liege
2nd place
Failed
Already in March we raced our first goal, the monument Milano-Sanremo. Boasson Hagen was our captain for the race, and he positioned himself very well in the decisive stages of the race. Though, the teams of great sprinters put down the hammer on the flat sections close to the finishing line, forcing Boasson Hagen to wait for the final sprint and not try his luck with an attack. He sprinted well, coming home in 4th.
Then the highlight for our other captain, Simon Spilak, came. Giro d'Italia, where our sponsors wanted a podium. And he delivered. Behind the great duo Taylor Phinney and Angel Madrazo, Spilak fought bravely for the final place on the podium, and he managed to bring it home for us.
Tour of Norway and an overall win was a obvious goal for us this season, as we were the only Norwegian team in the Pro Tour this season. Unfortunately, the hilly stages didn't prove decisive, and Boasson Hagen looked set for a top five, maybe even a podium before the final stage, which was a battle on the hills. But we failed to pull back a breakaway on our way to Holmenkollen, and Boasson Hagen ended the race in 6th. That was probably our only small disappointment this season.
Our final goal was to end the season inside the top 10 in the Pro Tour. During the whole year we've been close to 10th place, either just above or just below, and before the final race of the season, Giro di Lombardia, we were chasing 33 points behind Project 1t4i. Clearly motivated our riders gave it all in Italy, and Boasson Hagen's 2nd place secured us that 10th place, ending 38 points in front of Project 1t4i.
It's obvious that we're looking to sign Norwegian riders, and Daniel Hoelgaard's younger brother, who is supposed to handle stage races very well, Markus Hoelgaard, is together with the great talent Oskar Svendsen two of our priorities in the coming transfer season.
We'll also look to other teams and managers to try to strengthen our Norwegian core of riders, and we'll definitely check the availability to riders like Fredrik Strand Galta, Sondre Holst Enger and Phan Åge Haugård.
We don't want to fully announce our third plan for the coming transfer season, but it might be connected with Spilak being listed as one of those that might leave the team. We want an absolute world class leader for stage races. Whether that will be Spilak stepping it up from his great 2013 or a new rider, is still unknown. Rumours are we'll try something similar to last year thinking of the free agents market. We might see us try to sign Alarcon again, who we think very highly of after the success he brought us in 2012.
Speaking of riders likely to leave our team, we're looking forward to talk and negotiate with other teams thinking of their future. We definitely wish all our riders the best for the future, even though they won't ride in our colors, and we hope to find great teams for them all.
Simon Spilak
John-Lee Augustyn
Hector Duenas Nevado
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Kobe Vanoverschelde
David Livramento
Maurizio Biondo
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Remberto Jaramillo
Joseph Biziyaremye
Alexandre Shushemoin
Artem Topchanyuk
Nathan Haas
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Really great work there Sykkel_Freak.
In fact, love the normal team jersey as well.
